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Sinnoh Series Episode 7
Plot Twenty four hours. As Jonathan stared forward, unseeing, he counted the hours again. Twenty four hours. It had been twenty four hours since his loss against Linus, and he couldn't get over it. It had been his first real battle as a trainer, and he had thought he was doing well. He had studied the competitors in the annual Sinnoh League for the past eight years, learning every little thing about Pokemon he could. And yet he still lost. Was it because of Shinx? It didn't listen to him, but... Greg: Jon? Jon, hey, you there man? Snapping out of his thoughts, Jonathan blinks a few times as he adjusts to his surroundings. The forest is beginning to thicken, the trees getting darker. Jonathan frowns as he notices this. Jon: I thought we were almost out of the forest? Ben: We have the rest of the day ahead of us and then we'll get to Oreburgh. This stretch of the forest is pretty thick, then there's a cave, and then we'll get to Oreburgh. With any luck we'll be there by nightfall! Jon: Ah, great! Chimchar is seen swinging from branch to branch on the tree, Sneasel jumping after him. The two seem to be playing a game of tag. Their trainer smiles, glad to see Sneasel losing its tough guy demeanor for a change. Magnemite is floating ahead, surveying the area for Ben. Jon slowly sinks back into his thoughts, the last train of thought nagging at him. Shinx hadn't listened to him, but... Was that really why he had lost? Was he just an incompetent trainer? Shinx had been listening to him at the start of the battle. If it stopped listening, there had to be a reason. Was it because his battling style had been ineffective? Had Shinx realized this while he hadn't? What if his other Pokemon stopped listening to him as well? He slowed down a bit, watching them swing around playfully. Munna and Shinx were in their Poke Balls, as they didn't seem to want to emerge. Could they both sense that he wasn't a worthy trainer? Ben: Jon, dude, come on! Jon: Huh? Ben: We're almost to the cave! Just a little faster man, come on! He hurries, snapped out of his thoughts for now. They stop at the mouth of the cave, Gregory peeking in. Greg: Alright, seems safe to me. Let's go, but be careful. Zubats in these caves can come out of nowhere. More of a nuisance than anything when they're alone, but in groups they can be deadly. Magnemite and Shinx would be really useful here. Ben: Magnemite, mind letting off a few sparks? Magnemite happily complies, lighting up the area slightly. Greg: Jon, did you want to send Shinx out or...? Jon: I, uh... His mind flashes to an image of Shinx disobeying him, blinding him like he did earlier. Then bolting off, just to rub it in his face how bad of a trainer he is. He moves his hand away from Shinx's Poke Ball, covering it with his jacket. Jon: No, Shinx is probably still tired from the match. Ben: After a day? Jon: Yeah, Shinx is... Really tired. The two give him an odd glance but don't say anything else regarding the matter. They press forward, Chimchar and Sneasel staying beside Jonathan as they venture forth. The cave is silent, save for the occasional sound of dripping water and the flap of wings. Gregory stops after a few minutes, frowning. Gregory: Do you guys hear that? They stay silent for a few moments. Jonathan is about to say no when he hears a low rumbling from the left. Ben: Magnemite, throw some light over there! Magnemite: Mag, Magnemite! It shoots a few thin blasts of electricity in the general area, allowing them to see several dozen rocks towards them. Greg: Damn, it's a Geodude stampede! We must've woken them up! We gotta go, now! They run as quickly as they can, Jonathan's foot getting scraped by the first Geodude to roll past. He glances back and sees Chimchar trip, falling over. Jonathan: Chimchar, no! Sneasel turns around after Jonathan shouts, and shouts as his trainer begins to run toward the Geodudes. Sneasel blurs as it runs past Jonathan and grabs Chimchar, yanking the Fire-type away as the rest of the Geodudes arrive. They pant a bit as the Geodudes roll past. Greg and Ben turn around, running to get to the trio. They all walk away shakily, the large group of rock Pokemon paying them no mind. Jonathan: That was... Ben: Way, way too close. Greg: Agreed. We all need to stick closer together. If Chimchar had've been just slightly farther back... They all go silent, Chimchar looking fearful as he imagines what may have happened if he had been slightly slower. They continue walking, the cave growing darker and darker. The only light is Chimchar's flame, which seems surprisingly bright in the darkness. Gregory: Those Geodudes seemed frightened, didn't they? Jonathan jumps as the silence is broken, having been on edge in the darkness. Ben: Definitely. Sort of like they were running away from something. But what would they possibly run away from? Gregory: I'm not sure, but... I don't think I want to find out. They continue walking, Jonathan even more on edge than before. He barely contains a gasp of surprise when they hear what sounds like rocks falling nearby. Cursing in surprise, Greg stops the group. They hear the sound again, moving. As the footsteps get closer they begin to edge away, Chimchar's flame casting an eerie light. The footsteps are much louder now, and they sound like they're cracking the very floor they step on. Ben: Greg, what do we- A rock blasts to the left of his head, slamming into a wall just a few feet behind him. The force cracks the wall and the rock explodes into dust. Greg: RUN! They take off running, the creature roaring. It charges after them, the ground shaking slightly. Jon: What the hell is that thing? Greg: Not sure, but I don't think I want to find out! They keep on running, unsure of where they're going, desperately hoping to find an exit. Gregory nearly faceplants into a wall, stopping himself with his arms. Jonathan and Ben do the same, gasping for breath. They hear the creature stop and see its lower body in the light cast by Chimchar. Short, grayish brown legs are seen with orange plating on each knee. Orange plating is also seen in a belt-like pattern around its waist. A large, tail-like club slams into the ground behind it, cracking the ground and causing the cave to shake slightly. Ben: Oh, fu- The sound of a rock flying past nearly deafens them, Gregory dodging just in time for it to slam into the wall instead of his face. Jon: Do you know what the hell it is? Greg: It's a Rhyperior, it's an Arceus-damned Rhyperior! They shouldn't be- He's cut off as Rhyperior blasts another rock, narrowly missing Jonathan's leg. Greg: They shouldn't be in Oreburgh Cave, none of the Rhyhorn line should be! It steps into the light, exposing its full body. Jonathan can only stare in fear as the monstrous, nearly eight foot tall creature grabs a section of the ground and prepares to launch it. Ben: Damn it guys, to the left! They all start running as Rhyperior launches another shot, the force knocking Jonathan off his feet. He scrambles up and runs after them, feeling blood oozing out of a scrape on his leg. The trainer glances down and sees his jeans torn in several sections from the rough landing. He looks back and notices for the first time that Rhyperior's eyes are a bright red. Another rock launches, landing not far to the right. Jonathan: Come on, I'm not ready to die, we have to find that exit! He notices that Greg and Ben have stopped, causing him to frown. His heart sinks as he sees them staring in shock at what seems to be the exit, covered with rocks. Magnemite floats near them, its usually happy demeanor replaced with dread. Ben: It's a dead end. They all turn to face Rhyperior, its eyes glowing menacingly in the darkness. It picks up a chunk of the floor and aims it. Jonathan: Sneasel, Feint Attack! The boy's command causes Rhyperior to pause, allowing Sneasel to attack it. Sneasel attempts to slash the Pokemon's back, only for his claws to bounce off of the orange plates. Sneasel: Sn-Sneasel?! Rhyperior attempts to slam its tail into Sneasel, but Sneasel successfully dodges the swipe. Jonathan: Chimchar, Ember! Chimchar: Chim..CHAAAAR! It lets loose a flurry of small flames, each connecting with Rhyperior's face. It seems to barely be annoyed by this until they begin landing in its eye. It roars, stumbling backwards as it goes momentarily blind. Benjamin: Magnemite, Supersonic! Magnemite: Maaagnemiiiiite! Magnemite releases waves of high-pitched sounds, caused Rhyperior to cover its ears and cringe. It roars in pain, swiping randomly with its tail, slamming into Sneasel. Jon: Sneasel! The Pokemon struggles to regain his footing, breathing heavily and holding his left arm. Gregory suddenly groans, facepalming slightly. Greg: I can't believe I was such a dumbass! Ben: Wha- He grabs a Poke Ball and throws it into the air, causing it to open. Greg: Tangela, I need your help! Sleep Powder! Tangela forms completely, letting loose a cry as it casts green spores at Rhyperior. Chimchar and Magnemite are both sure to back off. The monstrous Pokemon moves its arms away from its head, roaring as it begins to charge at the trio. It runs straight into the spores, causing it to begin to blink and slow. It grimaces, attempting to keep itself awake, but to no avail. It collapses in front of the trio, snoring. All three of them breathe heavily before Ben starts to laugh, causing the other two to laugh as well. Ben: It was... It was that... That easy! Greg: We just... We just needed Sleep Powder! They begin to turn around when they hear a rumbling. They whip around, seeing Rhyperior begin to awaken. Light purple energy is coursing over its body in thin lines, causing them to step back in surprise. Chimchar jumps, and the shift in light causes Jon to notice a gleaming object embedded in Rhyperior's back as it stands up. Jonathan: What the... There's something in Rhyperior's back! Ben: What are you talking about? Rhyperior reaches its full height, roaring as it fully awakens. Jon: Sneasel, I need you to speed over and take whatever that thing is out of its back! Despite being wounded, his Pokemon nods. It leaps over Rhyperior, intending to land on its back. The towering Pokemon instead whips around in a speed that surprises Sneasel, causing it to land directly in front of it. Its fist launches towards Sneasel's midsection, launching him backwards. Jonathan: How the hell did this thing get such a speed boost?! It turns around, slightly slower now. It charges at them again, only barely giving them enough time to dive out of the way. It slams into the rocks that are blocking the cave exit, smashing just over half of them. They tumble to the ground, allowing a large opening. Rhyperior stumbles from the impact, falling to its knees. Rhyperior slowly begins to rise. Ben: Come on, we gotta lead it away and then we can get out of here! Jon: Not without Sneasel! As if on cue, he hears a cry behind him. He turns around, watching as Sneasel speeds past him and runs up Rhyperior's back, pulling the object out of it. Rhyperior lets loose a sound of pain before falling, the red fading from its eyes and the aura gone. Greg: Is... Is it over? Sneasel drops the object into Jonathan's hand before collapsing into his arms. Jonathan: Oh Arceus, Sneasel! Sneasel's body is cut in multiple places, blood slowly flowing. His trainer pulls out a Poke Ball, allowing Sneasel a chance to rest. He does the same for Chimchar. The flaming Chimp Pokemon sighs in relief, having suffered from multiple minor injuries in the forms of scratches and scrapes. They all walk steadily backwards as Rhyperior rises. Rhyperior: Rhy... Rhyperior? It glances at the trio, causing them to jump. It looks around in confusion before wandering off, soon out of reach from the light of the cave's exit. Greg: So whatever was in Rhyperior's back... Ben: Was causing it to act crazy... What was it, Jon? He holds out his hand, revealing a black cylinder nearly identical to the one found while treating Shinx. They gasp slightly, but Ben frowns as he looks at it closer. Ben: Wait, there's... There's no lid. Wasn't there a lid on the one we found before? He takes the object while Jon rummages through his bag, finding the item and pulling it out. With a quick comparison they confirm that Shinx's had a lid attached. Greg: So there was something in the cylinder that entered Rhyperior's body and altered its behavior. Ben: And maybe even its power. Did you see how it shook off sleep so easily, and how it was so much faster? Jon: We can talk more about this later, for now I need to get Chimchar and Sneasel to the Oreburgh Pokemon Center. Greg: Of course, it should be near the entrance to the town! They run out of the cave, dust kicking up as they hit the ground. The camera goes back to the cave where we're able to see the mouth of a person. She's speaking in a feminine voice, a faint smile on her lips. ???: Yes, sir. The test was a complete success. It showed room for improvement, but the power increase and behavior modifications were exactly as you expected. She waits for a few seconds, apparently receiving a response. ???: Of course, sir, I'm on my way. A faint beep sound is heard, and the camera fades to black.